Uncovering Jerusalem's Ancient Past

Actor John Rhys-Davies Visits Dig Mount Zion

A special message for all the Mount Zion diggers this season from John Rhys-Davies:

“Let’s get cracking!”

Jerusalem is without doubt the center of the world. Everyone who is anyone will eventually reach this very special city, including popes, politicians, musicians, and famous movie stars.

Just before the season began, our Mount Zion Dig Surveyor, John Hutchings, and Museum Coordinator, Betty Napier, bumped into a celebrity hanging out at the America Colony hotel–namely the Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies, well-known for his performance many years ago in Raiders of the Lost Ark and more recently as the nimble dwarf Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

John Rhys-Davies was in Israel acting in a short film in the role of first century tetrarch Herod Antipas for the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. When he heard about the excavation, he wanted to see the site with his own eyes. Shimon Gibson met him the following day for breakfast, and John Rhys-Davies said he had a great interest in working on archaeological media projects.

His special message for all the Mount Zion diggers this season is: “Let’s get cracking!”